Gabrielle

2005, 86 minutes, Rated M

Jean Harvey's lavish and privileged life is thrown into uncertainty when he receives a note from his wife, Gabrielle, saying that she has left him for another man. Curiously, Gabrielle returns home only hours later, having apparently changed her mind. This haunting visual retelling of Joseph Conrad's The Return is the tale of a handsome man of wealth who 'acquired' a wife 10 years ago and regards her merely as an object of ownership. Stunning performances by Pascal Greggory and Isabelle Huppert showcase a marriage of power and control, while Patrice Chereau's remarkable direction brings intense depth to the psychological and emotional pain of his characters. Gabrielle is the portrait of a marriage where 'love' is no longer an option and bourgeois excess is no substitute for emotion.